THE EFFECT OF ACETYL L CARNITINE ON PREVENTION OF HIPPOCAMPAL NEURODEGENERATION AND MOSSY FIBER SPROUTING IN AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY IN RAT

Temporal lobe epilepsy is due to structural and metabolic changes in hippocampus including marked degeneration of neurons. Considering some evidences on antiepileptic and neuroprotective activity of acetyl L carnitine (ALC), this study was undertaken to evaluate the preventive effect of ALC on structural changes in hippocampus in an experimental model of temporal lobe epilepsy. In this study, 32 rats were divided into sham, ALC-pretreated sham, epileptic, and ALC -pretreated epileptic group. Rat model of epilepsy was induced by unilateral intrahippocampal administration of 4 μg of kainic acid per rat. Rats received ALC (100 mg/kg, p.o) daily for 3 days before surgery. Finally, brain sections were stained with Nissl and Timm methods. The induction of epilepsy was followed by a prominent seizure and ALC pretreatment attenuated seizure intensity (p<0.01). In addition, density of Nissl-stained neurons in CA1, CA3, and dentate regions of hippocampus was significantly lower in epileptic rats versus sham group (P<0.005-0.001) and ALC pretreatment significantly increased it in CA1 and CA3 regions (p<0.05-0.01). Regarding mossy fiber sprouting, epileptic rats showed a higher degree of sprouting as compared to sham group (p<0.005) and ALC treatment significantly lowered it (p<0.05). ALC administration has an antiepileptic activity; it preserves neurons in CA1 and CA3 regions, and lowers mossy fiber sprouting in dentate gyrus of hippocampus in kainate-induced epileptic animals.